IUE Public Relations Images


These are public relations images obtained by IUE during its continuing mission, and are identical in format to those used by the IUE staff and guest observers. False color has been added to most images. This page is also available with lots of in-lined images. Much of the information for these images was made available by Scott Snell, Computer Sciences Corp.

There are two image types: acquisition and spectrum. Acquisition images are taken by the Fine Error Sensor (FES) in a scanning mode: it is commanded to step its aperture across the field if view in a raster pattern to generate a field image. The pixel size is limited by the size of the FES aperture, eight arc seconds. The maximum image size is 16 arc minutes. To the left of the image, North and East are indicated, as well as the spacecraft orientations for Pitch and Yaw. The first set of axes changes from image to image because IUE is required to maintain a fixed orientation with respect to the Sun, not the stars. The second set remains constant since it is fixed within the spacecraft body. Dark patches which appear near the center of the field of view are apertures in the science instrument that admit light to the spectrographs.

Raw spectrum images are obtained by projecting the target spectrum onto an SEC vidicon, which is then "read down" to the ground station at the end of the exposure. The low dispersion images contain a single spectrum on the faceplate, except for the Supernova 1987A images, which contain two spectra - one each for the large and small apertures. The short wavelengths are at the top of the images, with the longer wavelengths at the bottom. In many of the SWP images, a broad emission line is present near the top arising from the cloud of hydrogen that surrounds the Earth, and is not intrinsic to the target.

The high dispersion images (Neptune and Spica) appear to consist of numerous spectra. Each part, or order, covers only a small part of the total range of the detector. These orders are combined to create a single spectrum covering essentially the same range as a low dispersion spectrum, but with greater resolution. For both types of spectra, plots are presented that show the spectrum after it has been processed. The low dispersion plots cover the complete spectrum, while the high dispersion plots only include a portion of the spectrum.


Earth

Raw Spectrum | Reduced Spectrum
Details about this spectrum are available.

Mars

Acquisition Image
Mars was observed by IUE when it was...

Jupiter

Acquisition Image | Raw Spectrum | Reduced Spectrum
Jupiter and three of its four large moons...

Io

Raw Spectrum | Reduced Spectrum
The ring of sulfur compounds encircling Jupiter...

Saturn

Raw Spectrum | Reduced Spectrum
Saturn was observed by IUE...

Titan

Raw Spectrum | Reduced Spectrum
Details about this spectrum are available.

Uranus

Raw Spectrum | Reduced Spectrum
Uranus' rotational axis is nearly in the plane...

Neptune

Raw Spectrum | Reduced Spectrum
This high dispersion spectrum of Neptune was taken...

Comet Giacobini-Zinner

Acquisition Image
Comet Giacobini-Zinner was observed by IUE...

Comet Halley

Acquisition Image
Details about this image are available.

Comet Austin

Raw Spectrum | Reduced Spectrum
Comet Austin (1989c1) showed a typical comet spectrum...

Comet IRAS-Araki-Alcock

Raw Spectrum | Reduced Spectrum
IUE observed Comet IRAS-Araki-Alcock (1983d) as the comet passed...

Messier 42 - The Great Nebula in Orion

Acquisition Image
Details about this image follow.

Eta Carina - Nebula in the Large Magellanic Cloud

Acquisition Image
Eta Carina is an object embedded in a bright nebula...

16 Cygni A and B

Acquisition Image
16 Cygni A and B are two stars similar to...

Spica - Alpha Virginis

Raw Spectrum | Reduced Spectrum
Details about this spectrum follow.

RR Telescopium

Raw Spectrum | Reduced Spectrum
Details about this spectrum are available.

MWC 560

Raw Short Wavelength Spectrum | Reduced Short Wavelength Spectrum
Raw Long Wavelength Spectrum | Reduced Long Wavelength Spectrum
Details about these spectra are available.

1987A - Supernova in the Large Magellanic Cloud

Raw Short Wavelength Spectrum | Reduced Short Wavelength Spectrum
Raw Long Wavelength Spectrum | Reduced Long Wavelength Spectrum
Supernova 1987A was the closest supernova since the invention of the telescope...

LMC-X3

Raw Spectrum | Reduced Spectrum
LMC X-3 is believed to be a binary system consisting of...

Fairall 9

Raw Spectrum | Reduced Spectrum
Fairall 9 shows a typical Seyfert galaxy spectrum...

Page developed by
IUE Project Staff at Goddard Space Flight Center
 
Last updated:14 Aug 1998
Maintained by MAST staff